Category Archives: Oil & Energy

The Scramble for Africa was a quick proliferation of often conflicting European colonial claims on Africa. While imperialism was initially an indirect process, i.e. ruling or influencing the through locals, it ultimately led to outright annexation and centralized control of … Continue reading →

With all the talk of alternative energy and whether it is indeed a viable replacement for other conventional sources like coal and oil, one interesting case comes to mind. So readers, without looking in Google, Wikipedia or any other source, … Continue reading →

With the current primaries and upcoming presidential election, on top of rising oil prices, one favorite phrase of candidates and media outlets is energy dependence and energy independence. Yet, outside of buzz words, how dependent is the US on foreign … Continue reading →

With so much talk about energy and so much focus on the US, here’s a short overview of the situation in Germany. Being at the forefront of alternative energy and in fact the largest producer and user of it, does … Continue reading →

On October 17, 1973, members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries chose to embargo the United States, Western Europe and Japan for their support of Israel in the Yom Kippur War. Both the United States and Japan responded by … Continue reading →

Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbaev, recently made president for life, proposed a new canal linking the Caspian with the Black Sea. Currently, goods flow through the Volga-Don shipping canal, which links the Volga to the Don. It runs from near Astrakhan, Russia … Continue reading →

We’ve previously reviewed the strategic importance of the Strait of Malacca, noting that it is one of the world’s top choke points. It is heavily used by oil tankers and bulk carriers, seeing approximately 80 percent of Korea and Japan’s … Continue reading →

After his first visit to the US, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took a seven day trip through the Middle East visiting Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt. Two interesting things (in my mind) happened on this … Continue reading →

YH sings, “No more sailors, no more boats, no more bunker delivery notes!” Today was my last day as a “bunker agent”:http://www.cominganarchy.com/2007/04/01/tale-of-a-bunker-agent/. By far, the worst experience in my life. If you want to know why, read my post “On … Continue reading →